Father’s Day Musings

Father’s Day was a couple of weekends ago and I did something I hadn’t done in years. I spent it with my father. I stopped trying to spend Father’s Day with him after making plans to do so and being jilted a couple of times. I’ll spare you the details but needless to say I no longer put forth the effort to do it anymore. I still called but gifts, cards, and visits were out of the question. I wasn’t going to put myself in a position to have my feelings hurt again.

I could have easily denied his request as payback but I know what it’s like not to be with your family on a day that is designed for families. Besides, what would I have gained? Not a darn thing. My father is in his 70’s now. He and my mother were never married. I don’t know what it’s like to have a two-parent home. That is the reason why in my younger years, I vehemently refused to have children without a husband. I didn’t want to do it alone. I wanted to give my kids what I didn’t have. Although, I do have some fond memories of my father and I. He wasn’t all bad. He wasn’t there consistently but he did more than other fathers I know. It just took him a while to realize that the value of spending his time with me was greater than the money and things he gave me. I can’t get back the past. I chose to embrace the present.

As I walked around my house yesterday morning, for some reason I was reminded of NBA championship player Steph Curry’s press conference with his three-year-old daughter, Riley. The media was abuzz with how cute she was while others admonished her for not staying off the stage when her father sent her to the sidelines so he could finish his interview or being quiet when he told her to. Some even debated about the appropriateness of Steph even bringing her to the press conference. Yet, for me the most memorable part of the whole thing was in the beginning when they sat down and she couldn’t get her bracelet on and she made a simple request of her father, “Da Da help me.” Steph didn’t hesitate. He didn’t tell her to wait. He didn’t say Daddy’s busy right now. He continued to do his interview while he put on her bracelet. Yes, it was a simple thing but it spoke volumes. He was already a winner in my book after that. I didn’t care if the Golden State Warriors didn’t win the NBA Finals. Thankfully, they did.

As I got ready for church, I also reflected on how many girls don’t have that luxury. We can’t ask our fathers to help us because they are not around or are not in the home. They missed out on all those small but meaningful moments but most of all we, their daughters, missed out. As women, we often don’t realize the damage not having a positive male figure in our lives can have until we start dating. We begin looking for that male attention we were deprived of and all too often find it at the hands of the wrong kind of man. Our yearning for something as simple as a hug has led to unwanted pregnancies. Our wanting someone with bass in his voice to hold our hand and tell us we are beautiful has led to decisions to stay in abusive relationships. Girls need their fathers in a different way than boys. Studies have shown that girls who have a father figure in the home learn early on how to deal with the opposite sex and what is and isn’t appropriate and loving behavior. We are often better when we have them in our lives. We need our fathers to be standing right there when we say, “Da Da, help me.”

What do you think?

Statistic:

“Girls who have little contact with their fathers, especially during adolescence had great difficulties forming lasting relationships with men. Sadly these females either shy away from males altogether or become sexually aggressive. Girls with involved fathers learn how to interact with males by using the father-daughter relationship as a model. They not only have a concerned male to converse with but also a feeling of acceptance, knowing they are loved by at least one male. Females without father figures often become desperate for male attention.” (Grimm-Wassil, 1994)

About the Blogger

Jae Henderson is a blogger, reader, inspirational author and lover of all things good. She also happens to be the founder of this wonderful website and the company Put It In Writing Professional Writing Service. Her latest book, “Things Every Good Woman Should Know, Volume 1” can be purchased one Amazon.com.